The Benefits and Burdens of Work Moralization on Creativity

Although morality has long been considered an important and integral element of organizational life, current research suggests that moral considerations will reduce creativity. However, emerging evidence hints that morality may not always be a burden and instead could spark creativity. In this paper, I develop a model that investigates how work moralization – or the degree to which individuals integrate moral considerations into their work tasks – influences employee creativity. Drawing on regulatory focus theory, I argue that work moralization can lead to prevention focused cognitions – namely rumination – which impairs and redirects cognitive resources needed for creativity. However, I also posit that work moralization can lead to promotion focused cognitions – namely cognitive flexibility – leading employees to adopt cognitive approaches that increase creativity. Moreover, integrating research on value congruence, I suggest that work moralizers are the least likely to ruminate – and the most likely to become cognitively flexible – when they perceive their values are aligned with that of their organization, which ultimately fosters high levels of creativity. I test my theoretical model in a sample of federal scientists, employees at a sanitation plant, and an immersive pre-registered experiment. This research challenges the consensus that morality will negatively impact creativity and offers important contributions to research on organizational ethics, creativity, and moralization.